Hawks fly north seeking upset of 24th-ranked Crimson

Dec 31, 2011 - 4:15 PM Cambridge, MA (Sports Network) - The 24th-ranked Harvard Crimson welcome the Saint Joseph's Hawks to Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge this afternoon for a non-conference clash.

With Wednesday's 81-50 romp over Morgan State, Phil Martelli became the winningest coach in Saint Joseph's history. Martelli has won 310 games and broke a record that stood for over half a century. His club is 10-3 overall this season and carries a five-game win streak into today's affair with the hopes of improving a 1-2 record in true road bouts.

Harvard opened the season with eight consecutive victories before finally tasting defeat at the hands of defending national champion UConn. To the credit of the Crimson, they have gotten back on track with three straight wins, the most recent of which came on Thursday by an impressive 67-46 final over Boston College. Only three of Harvard's 12 games have taken place on the team's home floor, and all three have resulted in victory.

Saint Joseph's won its only previous meeting with Harvard back in 1998.

Carl Jones has been a standout performer for Saint Joseph's this season, as he is netting 18.5 ppg. Langston Galloway checks in with 16.0 ppg on 51.1 percent field goal efficiency, including 49.3 percent from three-point range, and C,J. Aikens provides 11.8 ppg to go along with an impressive total of 56 blocked shots. Rounding out a foursome of double-digit scorers is Ronald Roberts with 10.3 ppg. The Hawks are generating 74.2 ppg while allowing 65.5 ppg to foes on just 37 percent field goal efficiency. Taking a look at the 31-point romp over Morgan State earlier this week, SJU shot 51.6 percent from the floor and held the Bears to 25.4 percent field goal efficiency. Jones paced a balanced attack with 16 points, while three other players netted at least 10 points. Halil Kanacevic didn't hit a single shot from the floor, but the fact that he handed out 12 assists suggests that he still had a major impact on the outcome.

Laurent Rivard scored 18 points for Harvard in the romp over Boston College last time out. Corbin Miller tallied 12 points for the Crimson, who got 11 points from Brandyn Curry and 10 from Christian Webster. Harvard knocked down 10-of-20 three-point attempts in that affair and 13-of-15 free throws while also earning a commanding 36-22 advantage in rebounding. While Harvard isn't explosive at the offensive end, it doesn't have to put up huge numbers to win considering how well it defends. Rivard currently leads the team in scoring with his 10.8 ppg, while Keith Wright and Kyle Casey are generating 10.7 ppg apiece.